Chapter 34

The maid cautiously opened the door.

It was the room of a certain young lady who had become reluctant to enter since the last incident.

A maid from a humble rural background with no outstanding past or connections.

For her, it was natural to feel her life threatened by the threats of the count’s daughter.

She had often seen ill-tempered nobles who would even reach out to her family back home.

The maid was reflecting on her past meddlesome behavior and being careful with her actions.

“Ugh… what if I run into her…”

Mumbling while fidgeting with her mouth, she looked quite embarrassed.

Normally, it would be time for school, so it might be an unnecessary worry, but this young lady had a higher absence rate than it seemed.

She vividly remembered almost running into her in the room a few times or actually running away after encountering her.

The maid let out a deep sigh.

Anyway, if I see her, I’ll just greet her and run away.

With that decision, she pushed the half-open door wide open and entered, revealing a scene that was hard to call clean.

Traces of vomit still clearly visible, bloodstains splattered here and there, and pills scattered from a spilled medicine bottle.

The room being dirty wasn’t a new thing, but today it was much worse than usual.

However, the maid couldn’t pay attention to that.

Because the young lady she was worried about running into was lying collapsed right in front of the bed.

She seemed to have fallen face-first as soon as she tried to get up, with a large amount of blood pooled under her face.

The maid covered her mouth and stiffened her body.

“Ah.”

Then, as soon as she grasped the situation, she hurriedly started to move.

The decision to run away immediately upon seeing her was nowhere to be found, and there was no hesitation in her steps as she approached the fallen young lady.

Kneeling down and placing a finger near her nose, she felt an irregular but noticeable flow of air.

Fortunately, she wasn’t a corpse.

Then, was it a fainting due to a head injury?

Or perhaps she had fallen ill.

First, to make breathing easier for the face still embedded in the floor, she turned it to the left.

Then she could see more clearly the state of her face.

Her nose bone was broken, blood was streaming down, and her lips were split.

It seemed certain that she had fallen and hit her face first.

When she touched her head to support it, she clearly felt the high fever that had been hidden by the injury.

Fainting due to illness, injury due to fainting, and the pills that seemed to have been spilled while hastily trying to take them.

Various clues began to paint a picture in the maid’s mind of how this situation had come about.

She was sick.

If she was sick, she could have rung the bell and called for me.

Why did she endure so foolishly until it came to this?

Even if she didn’t have the money to go to the health room, I could have provided enough nursing care.

At the very least, I wouldn’t have let her faint like this.

Knowing what kind of person this young lady was from our first meeting, I could guess why she didn’t call for me, but it was still regrettable.

“If it comes to this, there’s nothing I can do…”

She was in trouble.

Since her condition had worsened, the folk remedies or basic nursing care she could provide wouldn’t be enough to improve it.

She needed to send her to the health room or get help from someone who could use healing magic, but neither option was easy.

“…Wait. There is someone.”

A person flashed through the maid’s mind.

The girl who had been desperately searching for the young lady last time.

She had asked around and built a rapport with her while trying to find out what was going on.

If it was Sena, who was particularly close to the young lady and an excellent magician, she would gladly use healing magic.

“But… ugh.”

The problem was that at this time, she was surely in class.

A maid like her couldn’t possibly go to a classroom full of nobles.

She scratched her head in frustration, then stood up.

She couldn’t just sit still while the young lady was still bleeding.

If it really came to it, she was prepared to risk getting into trouble to find Sena.

After wandering aimlessly out of the room for a few minutes,

she spotted a man wiping his monocle with a handkerchief in the hallway leading to the classroom building.

Thinking she might be able to ask for help, she was about to speak when the man opened his mouth first.

“Is something wrong?

You have blood on your hands.”

The man’s gaze was directed at the maid’s hands.

With blood not only on her hands but also on her clothes from supporting the young lady’s head, it was a sight that would surely seem strange to someone unaware of the situation.

The maid was about to explain the situation when she remembered she didn’t even know who the man was.

“Ah, um… may I ask who you are?”

“…If you’re an academy maid, wouldn’t it be good to at least remember the professors’ faces? I’m the Magic Studies Professor.”

Only then did she realize who the man was, and a lightning bolt struck her mind.

The Magic Studies Professor was a high-ranking figure among the high-ranking.

If she made a mistake, she could be dragged away on the spot for the crime of offending him.

“Ah, ah! I’m sorry…! I’ve committed a great discourtesy…”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. It’s your first time, so it’s understandable.

Anyway, the blood on your hands. Are you hurt?”

“No… it’s not my blood, ah.”

Startled, she bowed her head, and the professor smiled and waved his hand.

It was a new realization, but he was clearly a different breed from the other nobles.

As she cautiously observed, a thought crossed her mind—maybe she should ask this person for help.

He seemed like an incredibly rational individual.

If she asked politely, he might just agree.

Having made that judgment, the maid slowly brought up the young lady’s story.

***

Her consciousness, submerged in a haze, gradually awakened to the rhythmic swaying.

Her body, which had been in terrible shape just before falling asleep, now felt surprisingly okay.

The throbbing headache and fever were still there, but the rest of her injuries seemed to have healed.

…Had her sense of pain gone haywire?

No, that couldn’t be.

“Ugh…”

Feeling something off, she slightly opened her eyes and saw a blurry figure looking down at her from below.

Her legs weren’t touching the ground, and it felt like something was supporting her body.

This wasn’t something she could mistake for anything else.

This was the second time she was being carried by someone.

Compared to Ariana, this person’s physique and strength seemed far superior, making this much more comfortable.

The person holding her must have noticed her waking up and spoke.

“Awake now? Don’t try to lift your head.

I’ve treated all your wounds, but the fever hasn’t gone down yet.

Stay still until we reach the Health Room.”

“The Health Room…? I don’t have the money for that…”

Lately, even meals were being paid for by Ariana—there was no way she had money left for something like the Health Room.

Whoever this was, they seemed intent on making her a debtor unintentionally.

She wiggled her floating legs around, trying to get them to stop.

At her actions, he let out a soft laugh but didn’t stop walking, lowering his head instead.

Only then did she realize who he was.

It was a rather familiar face.

“I know your situation.

I’ll cover the cost, so don’t worry.”

“Professor…? Why?”

“You only recognize me now? A bit disappointing.”

It was the young-looking, somewhat blurry-faced gentleman—the Magic Studies Professor.

Since they had no connection outside of lectures, she was a bit taken aback.

Come to think of it, she had fallen asleep in her room—did he break in or something?

As her unanswered questions only deepened, a familiar voice came from below.

“I-I asked for his help…!

Princess, if you’re sick, please call me. Don’t suffer alone…”

It was Maid Ai, whom she hadn’t seen in a while.

Compared to her usual bright self, the girl now seemed anxious.

…So that’s how it was.

She must have slept until the girl arrived.

The girl’s face was now right in front of her, her eyes filled with anger and worry.

Not having the nerve to retort, she tightly shut her mouth.

“Right, whether it’s me or that girl, just call us first. It’s a request.

If a corpse is found in your room, the entire Academy will be in an uproar, you know?”

“…Yes. I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize.”

“As long as it doesn’t happen a second time, it’s fine.

I was just worried, that’s all…”

That was her way of saying sorry.

The fact that you, who kept your distance, had to step in means I caused this.

I didn’t want someone like you, an outsider, to get involved with someone like me.

Yet, I ended up receiving help again.

And on top of that, the professor too.

Well done, Remia.

To soothe her throbbing head, both mentally and physically, she closed her slightly open eyes, and the two stopped talking to her.

Their seemingly indifferent yet thoughtful care was appreciated.

This ticklish sensation was… both nice and not.

***

“Ah, by the way, Miss Adelian.

This is just my personal curiosity.”

Half-asleep and nodding off, she faintly opened her eyes at the professor’s voice.

“Who gave you the medicine scattered in your room?

A few of them looked familiar. They’re not easy to get, you know.”

“…Ariana did, ugh.”

She blurted it out in her drowsiness and quickly shut her mouth.

For some reason, it felt like she shouldn’t have said that.

A foreboding feeling that she shouldn’t have answered crept in.

What kind of feeling was this?

Getting medicine wasn’t a big deal.

But the fact that she had already mentioned Ariana’s name felt like an irreversible mistake.

“…Ah, I see.”

The professor smiled.

It was the same warm smile as before.

Nothing seemed off.

…It must be my imagination.

Too exhausted to think further, she forced herself to ignore it and closed her eyes again.